The Qur'an (Oxford World's Classics)

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The Quran 43: 36
reserves the next life for those who take heed of Him. 36 We assign an
evil one as a comrade for whoever turns away from the revelations of
the Lord of Mercy: 37 evil ones bar people from the right path, even
though they may think they are well guided. 38 When such a person
comes to Us, he will say [to his comrade], ‘If only you had been as far
away from me as east is from west. What an evil comrade!’ 39 [It will
be said to them], ‘You have done wrong. Having partners in punishment
will not console you today.’
40 Can you [Prophet] make the deaf hear? Or guide either the blind
or those who are in gross error? 41 Either We shall take you away and
punish them – indeed We will – 42 or We shall let you witness the
punishment We threatened them with; We have full power over
them. 43 Hold fast to what has been revealed to you – you truly are on
the right path – 44 for it is a reminder a for you and your people: you
will all be questioned. 45 Ask the prophets We sent before you: ‘Did
We ever appoint any gods to be worshipped besides the Lord of
Mercy?’
46 We sent Moses to Pharaoh and his courtiers and he said, ‘I am
truly a messenger from the Lord of the Worlds,’ 47 but when he
presented Our signs to them, they laughed, 48 even though each sign
We showed them was greater than the previous one. We inflicted
torment on them so that they might return to the right path. 49 They
said, ‘Sorcerer, call on your Lord for us, by virtue of His pledge to
you: we shall certainly accept guidance,’ 50 but as soon as We relieved
their torment they broke their word. 51 Pharaoh proclaimed to his
people, ‘My people, is the Kingdom of Egypt not mine? And these
rivers that flow at my feet, are they not mine? Do you not see? 52 Am I
not better than this contemptible wretch who can scarcely express
himself? 53 Why has he not been given any gold bracelets? Why have
no angels come to accompany him?’ 54 In this way he moved his
people to accept and they obeyed him – they were perverse people.
55 When they provoked Us, We punished and drowned them all:
56 We made them a lesson and an example for later people.
57 When the son of Mary is cited as an example, your people
[Prophet] laugh and jeer, 58 saying, ‘Are our gods b better or him?’–
a Dhikr can mean ‘renown’ or ‘reminder’:
b The angels, whom they worshipped as the daughters of God and superior to Jesus,
whom they considered to be a god worshipped by Christians as the Son of God.